Sunday, September 24, 2006

CFB Hangover: Monday Mania

How do you feel about Notre Dame's win? Was it a gritty comeback worthy of a BCS-level team? Or did it showcase a team with massive holes on D?

Given its drama (and its spot on primetime national TV), the "40" will probably eclipse the "37."

But that dovetails nicely with this week's big issue:

With all but two Top 25 teams winning, how much should HOW a team won factor into moving up or down in the rankings?

(And where it's relevant, how much should conference competition factor in? For ND purposes, I'd count Michigan St as a "conference"game.)

Can you hold it against Ohio St or USC or Michigan or Florida for needing all four quarters to beat league rivals? I don't think so (at least, not completely).

Georgia is another story: Don't let non-factor frosh QB Joe Cox's off-the-bench, 4th-quarter heroics fool you: UGA almost lost, at home, to a really bad team that has already lost (at home) to a 1-AA team.

Back to Notre Dame: I'm willing to credit the offense for delivering, but the D obviously has a LOT further to go before I'd rank the Irish ahead of the other teams in the Top 10.

Upshot: Begrudgingly, I put Notre Dame back in the Top 10. (See item above for my ballot in this week's BlogPoll Top 25.)

I said before the season began that NDs D was no different than the one that got lit up in the Fiesta Bowl. After 2 games, when the "experts" said that NDs D was very much improved over last year, I still said that they were massively overrated. Two weeks in a row of being exposed and now I feel vindicated. NDs D is terrible. The problem is that they're going to play a bunch of crappy teams for the next 2 months and people are going to think they're decent again. Don't be fooled.

All of that said, the offense is still quite good. The fact that they managed 40 points in that ridiculous weather says something. And Brady's stat line against MSU is certainly going to figure in the Heisman voting. In fact, 3 int's against Michigan aside, Quinn's stats this year have been very, very good. He's a couple blowouts against NDs cake-walk schedule away from being right back at the top of the Heisman watch.

Also, one of those things I haven't heard anyone say but need to be mentioned: Last year, VT came out against Miami, their offensive line didn't show up for the first half, and in the second half they came completly unglued. This year against Cincy, the offensive line didn't show up in the first half, and in the second half they buckled down and ran down Cincy's throat (RB Brandon Ore picked up 152 yards on the ground). Something to pay attention to as the season goes on, especially given that their line this year is totally different then last year's.

Um, doesn't it seem sorta like, if anything, they managed 40 points BECAUSE of that crappy weather, specifically MSU's inability to deal with it? (not to mention that INT return and the drive that started at the 24 thanks to ND's lousy D and MSU's shitbrick 4th-quarter O)

Did you miss ND's 14 first-quarter plays for 18 yards?

Sure, Brady's a mudder, but that hardly makes the vaunted O a juggernaut most Saturdays. Then again, if you throw 9 out of 14 downs against a Big Ten team, you probably can't help but get to 21. The thing you need to worry about is making sure the other team doesn't catch 3 of those passes on its way to 47.

I don't consider this a Notre Dame win. I consider this a Michigan State fuck-up and I am thanking God that I do not root for the Spartans because I probably would be in a mental hospital right now. Then again, it's just "MSU being MSU"

So ND barely beats GA Tech, beats an overrated Penn State, and beats a mediocre MSU and they're top 10? Again, lets see them beat teams like Texas, OSU, or USC before anyone annoints them as top 10 worthy.

John: so by your logic, Michigan's O isn't very good because 14 of their points against ND came directly off turnovers and another 7 on an int that gave them great field position? That's ridiculous. Both offenses are very good.

Also, I'm not arguing that Quinn deserves the Heisman. I honestly don't think he's even in the top 10 right now. Who knows what he's going to do the rest of the season (although, given the remaining schedule, I'm betting on huge numbers the rest of the season). I'm just saying that when the voters go to decide their pick at the end of the season, Quinn's early season numbers are going to look just fine.

dan mega: show me one other team in the country that's played 4 real teams so far. WVU is beating the pants off the likes of E. Carolina and you guys think they're hot shit. They haven't played anybody yet!

can't show any love for Notre Dame's victory against a Michigan State team that is coached by such a disorganized coaching staff, just look to the 2005 Ohio State game for a glaring example. But I will concede that the comback win keeps Brady Quinn name at the top of the '07 NFL Draft talk...

as far as "how" a team wins, a win is a win. I know college football has a tradition of favoring teams who blowout an opponent, but if at this point in the season if you are still winning games 77-0, then I call to question scheduling ethics. Parody and familiarity within the conferences should make most games a four quater affair.

corrnd - alright, ND's offense scored plenty too, I guess 5 is a lot of TD passes. I just thought the game would have turned out differently if it hadn't started raining like that; it was on a decidedly different course before the elements apparently started leaking into John Lansing Smith's skull. Really I just wanted to offer the opinion that the weather didnt make ND's 40 points more incredible, it actually made them easier. But they certainly still existed, yes.by the by, would it be offensive, or just funny, if I had addressed this to 'corrnd beef'? I'm really not entirely sure.

Dan Mega - I'm not sure what makes MSU so mediocre. They seemed to have a lot going for them up until the end of the 3rd on Saturday. Furthermore, The Corrs is right about early-season scheduling. Maybe Penn State was overrated, or maybe ND just made them look that way, but one thing you have to admit is that those four games were all real teams. To put your logic to the test, has Texas beaten any of those three teams? How about LSU? Certainly, Georgia? Or especially, wow, WVU? Good point, Corrnd, SportsCenter somehow fooled me into thinking this team was for real. Why does the headline "ECU puts up a fight, but No. 4 West Virginia pulls away late" exist for any reason? And anyway, ND actually has a game scheduled vs. USC later on this season, and I'd say they have a fair chance of winning. Partly because I think USC is a travershamockery with 3 years of inertia mooring it in the top 5, but partly because ND can actually get things done, fast, in a big way, when they try. Plus, Jesus loves them.

I understand that T.Smith maybe had his worst statistical perofrmance of his career but lets not forget his TD pass to robiske. That solidifies his number 1 status as a heisman candidate. AD is good and all, but ow about TS's stats against Texas, performace wise Troy has played very very well and even though he had 2 int's they didnt hurt them.

one thing we should be talking about is how sick the Ohio State D has been playong this year. So much for the defense struggling. 1 td vs texas, 0 td over PSU, even stoping them at 1&G at the 1. When the o and d are firing on all cylinders, the buckeyes look terrific.

ps: desmond howard is worthless. he brings nothing to gameday except the inability to pronounce and annunciate words.

Good point on OSU's defense. Remember coming into the season when everyone said we'd have to outscore our opponenets to win? Wow, if that wasn't a Madden-esque observation. I'm pretty sure that's how you win all football games. through 4 games our D is giving up an avg of what? 8 points per?

For all I care B. Quinn can win the heisman, get drafted by the Raiders and suck it up for the rest of his life while his sister is getting plowed by a guy with a National Championship ring.

Winning the Fiesta Bowl > Individual Awards. Calvin Johnson didn't win the biletnikoff last year, showing how much these awards matter. I'd take him on my team anyday over the chump that won it. Mike Hass? Where is he playing Sundays?

Quick, who won the 2003 Davey O'Brien? I have no clue. But I do know who won the N.C. last year, and ever year since the BCS.

Chris i agree with you on the individual awards in CFB. At the same time i still would like him to win it, but i know troy could care less.

anyways back to the media slamming OSU. It has been that way since their NC season. people like mark may, trev alberts, skip bayless...they just talk and talk to hear themselves and be controversial.

why would texas beat OSU this week? because they played an ok game in the rain? correct me if i am wrong but didnt we win by 22 points? what has texas done to warrant that kind of claim? did they take some no name team from the south behind the woodshed again?

the d is giving up 8 points per, against the defending NC's at thier house. James L is looking like he is filling in nicely and jenkins is a flat out play maker at dback.

I just love all of the Buckeye fans that are here. It sure beats reading a blog where they are getting slammed by people that hate them because they are #1.

I have noticed that no matter what network team is calling a game, the Buckeyes are getting negative comments thrown at them. I'm glad I was at my nephew's birthday party and could only watch Saturday's game.

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.